THE HISTORY OF GWYDIR COUNTRY

The Wirrayaraay tribe of the Gamilaraay Nation originally occupied the land.

The Gwydir region was known to some white men before exploration by Allan Cunningham. In 1827 Cunningham explored from the Hunter to the Darling Downs. He passed through what we now know as Bingara, where he saw cattle, and Warialda where he noticed a hut, possibly built by an escaped convict. He crossed Warialda’s Reedy Creek on his way north and on his return.

Squatter George Hall took up Bingara Station in 1834 after which the town is named. This holding occupied the valley named by Cunningham as Stoddart’s Valley.

Beyond the boundaries of settlement there was no provision to settle disputes between squatters about boundaries, missing or strayed stock, and water rights or to address conflict between white settlers and Aboriginals. The most notorious of the latter was the Myall Creek Massacre in the Gwydir Squatting District.

The Government Gazette announced the appointment of a magistrate in 1839 for the police post of Warialda. In 1847 Richard Bligh was appointed Commissioner for Crown Lands for the district of Gwydir.

By 1850 the District extended from Pockataroo in the west to the Dividing Range (New England) and from the vicinity of Narrabri to the Macintyre River, which forms part of what is now known as the Queensland-New South Wales border.

The Colonial Office regarded Warialda as being “the most remote outpost in the British Empire and the farthest of faraway places”. Supplies came by wagon from Maitland and could take many months as did mail from Sydney. The establishment of a Post Office and the construction of a complex consisting of a Court House, Police Office and Lock-up were significant advancements for Warialda in 1848.

The Assistant Surveyor, John Galloway, who was instructed to design the town of Warialda in 1849, believed that Bingara would have been a better location for the chief town of the Gwydir because it had adequate water, a good crossing place and level land.

The discovery of gold at Upper Bingara in 1852 attracted people and led to the commercial development of the Bingara district. The gold was considered very rich and was carried away in “pint pots”. There is still evidence of the gold mining industry in the Bingara area. By the 1880’s Bingara was the largest supplier of diamonds in Australia.

Bingara and Moree became officially recognised villages in 1852 & 1859 respectively. Inverell was proclaimed a town in 1856. Warialda was the last of the afore-mentioned towns to achieve local government.

The Assistant Surveyor, John Galloway, who was instructed to design the town of Warialda in 1849, believed that Bingara would have been a better location for the chief town of
the Gwydir because it had adequate water, a good crossing place and level land.

The discovery of gold at Upper Bingara in 1852 attracted people and led to the commercial development of the Bingara district. The gold was considered very rich and was carried away in “pint pots”. There is still evidence of the gold mining industry in the Bingara area. By the 1880’s Bingara was the largest supplier of diamonds in Australia. Bingara and Moree became officially recognised villages in 1852 & 1859 respectively. Inverell was proclaimed a town in 1856. Warialda was the last of the
afore-mentioned towns to achieve local government.